I'm looking to get a tablet for my wife, mostly to replace her business laptop (Windows 7). The main criteria for it would be the ability to remote desktop into the machine, so she can leave it plugged in at home and RDP or VNC into it as necessary (mostly will be used for email and web, except for when she needs to use MS Office tools)

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with Remote Desktops on Android and iOS, and which was better for getting to a Win7 machine. If I go Android, it's probably going to be the Asus Transformer, otherwise it will be an iPad 2.

That ASUS Transformer TF-101 looks awesome... I wonder how it holds up against the other tablets out there... Seems like a nifty idea with the detachable keyboard. The price runs around $400 for that, right?

That ASUS Transformer TF-101 looks awesome... I wonder how it holds up against the other tablets out there... Seems like a nifty idea with the detachable keyboard. The price runs around $400 for that, right?

What are your thoughts on the XOOM?

I haven't tried native RDP or VNC clients on my new phone yet, but RDP through our Citrix gateway works great. It's usable even on the small screen on my Moto ATRIX. I actually just ordered a XOOM with the intent of replacing my work laptop. Get a bluetooth keyboard and mouse and it will do just about anything I would use my laptop for.

I'm not averse to the Xoom.. the Transformer and Galaxy Tab's caught my eye... also thought I read somewhere that Motorola is working on a new Xoom tablet or fixing the current one or something like that...

I'm not averse to the Xoom.. the Transformer and Galaxy Tab's caught my eye... also thought I read somewhere that Motorola is working on a new Xoom tablet or fixing the current one or something like that...

The Galaxay tab is by far the prettiest of the bunch. I think it looks better than the iPad. It's nice and light and thin and pretty. However, it has no microSD port or any storage expansion unless you get the 3G/4G version. For me, that was a deal breaker. I could do with needing the dongle for USB, but no storage expansion causes problems when you use it for PDFs and other documents. The "fixing" the Xoom may be the microSD support that Motorola says they were waiting on Google to release. As of early June it is supposed to be fixed, with the release of Android 3.2. The other thing to consider is that 3.2 will be the last Honeycomb release. Going forward it will be Ice Cream Sandwich. It also could be the Xoom 2 rumor.

Everyone has their personal preferences about styling and features. Go to your local big box store and play with the tablets. Get a feel for them and decide which you like. Decide up front whether you need expandable storage, before you hold the Samsung.